Subfamilia: CERAMBYCINAE / Tribus: TRACHYDERINI
[Photo © David Navrátil]
Females of this species oviposit into living branches of the host (Acer sempervirens). Young larval instars girdle the pit of the living branch leaving the phloem and bark intact. As a result the transport of nutrients back from the leaves is interrupted and the nutrients are preserved. The larvae continue feeding on pit of a lateral branch of a smaller diameter and later in the main branch they return to the region of the girdle. Later larval instars finish the girdle so that the branch is completely cut off. The larvae remain in the cut off portion that eventually falls to the ground. In the second year the larvae construct a pupal cell in the pit, pupate and adults hatch during June and early July. Larval galleries are presented in a separate page devoted to the species bionomy.
Body length: ♂♂ 13 - 15 mm / ♀♀ 14 - 16 mm Life cycle: 2 years Adults in: June - July Host plant: Acer sempervirens Distribution: an endemic species to Crete
The depicted beetles were reared from a larvae feeding in Acer sempervirens branches collected in Omalos environs (1020-1137 m a.s.l., Omalos 36 km SW Hania, Lefka Ori Mts., West Crete, Greece, 3521N 2354E) in July 2003 and June 2018.Collected by David Navrátil and M.Rejzek
Sláma M.E.F.:
Neue Arten von Cerambyciden aus Kreta (Coleoptera).
Reichenbachia, Dresden 23 (5): 17-22, 1985. [download]
[Photo © M.Rejzek]
Subfamilia: Cerambycinae Latreille, 1802
Tribus: Trachyderini Dupont, 1836
Genus: Purpuricenus Dejean, 1821
Species: Purpuricenus schurmanni Sláma, 1985